Nebraska Makes 3rd Straight Final Four Appearance In Win Over Kentucky

Match Results

• Nebraska def. Kentucky 3-1, (25-19, 25-22, 25-27, 25-22)
• Nebraska improves to 30-4, Kentucky ends season at 29-4
• Lexington, Kentucky
• Attendance: 4,464
• Match Stats

Nebraska makes their third straight NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance for the first time in program history as the Huskers took down Kentucky in four sets. The Huskers have also set a 30 win mark for the third straight season and the 11th time in John Cook’s 18 seasons with the Huskers.

Nebraska now advances to the Final Four that will take place in Kansas City, Missouri where they will face off against Big Ten foe Penn State. Earlier this season Nebraska took down the Nittany Lions in straight sets on the road to record Penn State’s only loss of the season. They will be looking to sweep the Nittany Lions matchups this season as they face off for a chance in the finals.

Nebraska blasted out to a 9-4 lead in the first set and continued to grow this lead to 22-14. Kentucky fought back slightly as they closed the gap to 22-17 but the Huskers were able to finish off the needed three points to win the first set 25-19. The Huskers held the lead in the second set as well at 22-16 late in the set but the Wildcats cut that lead to 23-20. Kentucky battled to stay in the set but fell short at 25-22.

The third set was a slow set for the Huskers as the Wildcats led for the majority of the set. They fought back to tie things at 24-24 then again at 25s. A Husker hitting error gave the Wildcats set points along with a Brooke Morgan block to avoid the sweep 27-25.

The final set of the match stayed close with the Wildcats fighting hard to take the fourth set win and force a fifth set. They were unsuccessful in their attempts, falling 25-22 after Kentucky committed their 12 serving error of the night.

This is the 14th time in program history that the Huskers are advancing to the NCAA semifinals, ranking second in the NCAA.

Setter Kelly Hunter dished out 46 assists and 11 digs in the match for a double-double. Along with that, Hunter hit the 4,000 assists mark in her career with her fifth assist in the match, ranking second in Husker history behind Fiona Nepo who finished her career with 4,824 assists. Mikaela Foecke put down 18 kills and eight digs to be named the MVP of the regional, while Hunter and Annika Albrecht were named to the all-regional team.

Also standing out for Nebraska was Albrecht with 14 kills and 11 digs while Briana Holman put down 11 kills on a .421 hitting percentage while adding six blocks to her tally. Kenzie Maloney picked up a team-best 13 digs.

For Kentucky, Lead Edmond went off to produce 20 kills and 11 digs while Emily Franklin and Kaz Brown added another 11 kills in the loss. Avery Skinner posted 10 kills while Ashley Dusek picked up a match-best 19 digs.

Press Release

Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

The No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team earned a third straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 25-27, 25-22) win on the home court of fourth-seeded Kentucky in the NCAA Lexington Regional Final on Saturday.

Playing in front of a crowd of 4,464 at Memorial Coliseum, the Huskers handed the host Wildcats (29-4) their second home loss of the season. Nebraska (30-4) improved to 5-0 against AVCA top-10 teams this season and reached 30 wins for the third straight season and 11th time in head coach John Cook’s 18 seasons at Nebraska.

The Huskers will make their third straight Final Four appearance for the first time in program history. Nebraska will play in the Final Four next Thursday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Huskers will play top-seeded Penn State at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased now at NCAA.com/tickets.

Four Huskers finished in double-digit kills, led by Mikaela Foecke with 18 kills and eight digs on .375 hitting. Annika Albrecht had 14 kills and 11 digs. Briana Holman had 11 kills and six blocks, and Jazz Sweet had 11 kills and four blocks, including a key solo block late in the fourth set.

Kelly Hunter had 46 assists and 11 digs and guided the Huskers to a .271 hitting percentage. Kenzie Maloney had a team-high 13 digs and served two aces, as Nebraska won the serving battle by a significant margin with five aces and eight errors compared to one ace and 12 errors for Kentucky.

Leah Edmond led the Wildcats with 20 kills.

Set 1: Foecke blasted kills on her first three swings and Maloney served back-to-back aces for a 5-1 start. A kill by Holman and a Kentucky hitting error made it 9-4 Huskers. Kentucky cut it to 10-7, but Nebraska went on a 4-0 run to go ahead 14-7, keyed by a kill and ace by Albrecht and kills by Foecke and Hunter. Stivrins and Foecke terminated as part of another 3-0 spurt that put NU ahead 17-8. Then Stivrins and Albrecht teamed up for a block, and Sweet posted a kill for a 22-14 lead. Kentucky pulled within 22-17, but a pair of net violations gave NU set point, which NU finished off at 25-19. NU had four more kills in the set (16-12) and served three aces with no errors, while Kentucky served no aces with two errors.

Set 2: Nebraska scored six of seven points with Sweet terminating twice and combining with Holman for a block that made the score 7-3. Kentucky clawed back to within 11-10 with a 5-2 spurt, but Foecke answered with back-to-back kills to restore a three-point margin. Albrecht took the Huskers to a 15-11 lead at the media timeout with her sixth kill. Nebraska’s defense at the net caused Kentucky fits, and a pair of blocks increased the Husker lead to 19-13. Stivrins tacked on a kill and a block with Foecke, which forced a Kentucky timeout with the Huskers on top 22-16. Kentucky cut it to 23-20 with three straight points, but Holman pounded a kill from the right side for set point. The Wildcats got a kill and a block to make it 24-22 and force a Husker timeout, but Holman clinched the set on the next rally with a kill for a 25-22 win. Nebraska hit .326 in the second frame.

Set 3: Kentucky got off to a better start in the third set and claimed a 7-3 lead. Holman got a sideout for the Huskers, and the teams traded sideouts for 12 rallies until a block by Kentucky gave the Wildcats a 14-9 advantage. Nebraska trailed 17-13 when Stivrins and Foecke stuffed a Kentucky shot, and Albrecht added a kill to cut it to 17-15. After Kentucky got a sideout, Holman did the same for NU, and Foecke tooled the block to pull the Big Red within 18-17. A tough serve from Hunter caused an overpass, which Holman hammered down to tie the set at 18-18. Holman produced another kill to give NU its first lead of the set at 19-18. After a Kentucky timeout, the Huskers continued their onslaught with an ace by Hunter and a UK hitting error that made it 21-18, capping a 6-0 run. Kentucky scored the next two to reduce the lead to one, 21-20, but another hitting error by the Wildcats gave NU a 22-20 edge. Holman and Albrecht stuffed a Kentucky attack to make it 23-21, but Kentucky answered with a kill. Sweet terminated to gain match point at 24-22. But the Wildcats gained momentum by fighting off two match points to level the score at 24-24. After a Husker timeout, Hunter executed a dump perfectly for another match point, which Kentucky responded to with a kill. The Wildcats then earned match point of their own at 26-25 after a Husker attacking error. A block by Brooke Morgan gave Kentucky the 27-25 win.

Set 4: Foecke and Holman each posted a kill and went in together on a block, and Hunter served an ace as the Huskers rebounded from their first dropped set of the tournament to take a 5-1 lead. After Kentucky got within 9-8, Stivrins and Hunter recorded NU’s 10th block of the match for a 10-8 lead. A quick set to Stivrins had the Huskers ahead 15-13 at the media timeout. Foecke tallied her 17th kill for a 17-14 lead. Edmond answered with two kills for Kentucky to cut it to 17-16, and NU took a timeout. The Wildcats drew even at 18-18, but Holman came up big with her 11th kill. Foecke smashed another kill before Holman and Sweet blocked an attack to give NU a 21-19 edge. After a Kentucky sideout, Albrecht smacked a kill and Sweet notched a solo block for a 23-20 Husker lead. After a service error, Sweet terminated for match point at 24-21. The match ended when Kentucky served its 12th error of the night.

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• Nebraska (30-4) advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for a third straight year for the first time in program history. The Huskers were National Champions in 2015 in Omaha and reached the 2016 NCAA Semifinals in Columbus, Ohio.
• The Huskers will be making their 14th NCAA Semifinals appearance all-time, second-most in NCAA history.
• John Cook is taking Nebraska to the NCAA Semifinals for the eighth time in his 18 seasons.
• Cook improved to 64-14 in NCAA Tournament play as Nebraska’s head coach.
• Nebraska improved to 14-13 all-time in NCAA Regional Finals.
• The Huskers improved to 5-0 this season against AVCA top-10 opponents, equaling the number of top-10 wins from each of the past two seasons.
• Nebraska improved to 8-2 all-time against Kentucky and has won the last seven meetings in the series.
• Nebraska reached 30 wins in a season for the third straight year and has now achieved at least 30 wins in 11 of Cook’s 18 seasons as head coach.
• Kelly Hunter had 46 assists in the match, and with her fifth assist in set one she reached 4,000 career assists at Nebraska. She ranks second in school history behind Fiona Nepo (4,824) with 4,041 career assists.
• Mikaela Foecke was named the most outstanding player of the regional after her 18 kills and eight digs against Kentucky. Kelly Hunter and Annika Albrecht were also on the all-regional team.
• The 2017 NCAA Championships will be played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets can be purchased now at NCAA.com/tickets. The semifinals will be played on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6 and 8 p.m. Nebraska and Penn State will meet in the first semifinal, and Stanford and Florida will play in the second semifinal. The final is set for Saturday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.

Press Release

Courtesy of Kentucky Athletics

In perhaps their gutsiest effort to date, the No. 6 Kentucky volleyball team fell just short in a 3-1 (19-25, 22-25, 27-25, 22-25) loss to No. 5 Nebraska in front of 4,464 fans in Memorial Coliseum in the Regional Semifinals. UK staved off three match points in the third set to force a fourth frame and continued to rally to the very end.

“I’m just really proud to have been able – with myself and our staff – to be able coach this team, and they did everything right,” head coach Craig Skinner said. “You struggle to find the words at the end of a season to make it feel right, but everybody in that locker room knows what they’ve done and how proud they should be.”

With the loss, Kentucky concludes its season with a 29-4 overall record after making its first appearance in the Regional Finals for the first time in the modern era of the tournament in program history. Nebraska moves on to the National Semifinals with a 30-4 overall record.

The box score points towards one of the best matches inside of Memorial Coliseum in an equally electric environment. Nebraska accounted for 61 kills. UK had 60. Kentucky had two more assists and four more digs. Both teams finished with 12 blocks.

“If you look at the stats, that was about as even as a match you could get,” Skinner added. “Four and Five seeds going at it toe–to-toe. They probably won the serving battle, which would have been the difference in the match, but give a lot of credit to Nebraska.”

Sophomore outside hitter Leah Edmond produced a match-high 20 kills – her third-consecutive match with 20 or more hammers. She also added 11 digs and a trio of blocks in an all-around effort. Edmond now has four career matches with 20 or more kills in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any player in the Skinner era. She was named to the Lexington All-Region team for her efforts. Edmond finishes her sophomore season with 539 kills, the most in a single year in the 25-point rally scoring era under Skinner.

Freshman Avery Skinner joined Edmond on the All-Region Tournament squad following a 10-kill performance. She finishes the season reaching double-digits in the kills’ column in 10 consecutive matches, including all four in the tournament.

Led by the senior trio of Kaz Brown, Ashley Dusek and Emily Franklin this Kentucky team showcased the heart and resilience it has shown all year. Brown and Edmond both finished their careers with 11 kills and five blocks apiece in their final collegiate match. Dusek had a match-high 19 digs and made countless rally-saving plays that will not show up on a box score. Ignited by their play, the raucous crowd clad in Blue and White nearly willed the Comeback Cats to a third consecutive five-set match.

Junior McKenzie Watson and freshman Gabby Currycontinued to provide a steady presence on the backline with nine and eight digs, respectively. The duo combined for 63 digs in the NCAA Tournament and an average of 3.71 a set.

Freshman Madison Lilley had 52 assists, four digs and two blocks. She directed the Wildcats to the tune of 60 kills and a .252 attacking clip. Lilley’s 52 assists marked the ninth time this season she has topped that mark Junior Brooke Morgan chipped in with seven kills, four blocks and three digs.

SET RECAPS

Set One
Nebraska scored the opening point, but UK fired right back with a crafty tip shot from Skinner. The Huskers would score the next four to take a 5-1 lead before Edmond snapped the spurt with her first kill of the day. Nebraska was able to stretch the lead to five at 9-4, but UK responded with a kill off the quick set from Franklin. Despite a showcase of gutty hustle, Nebraska was able to maintain its five-point lead at 12-7 and UK opted for a timeout. Following the timeout, the Huskers picked up two straight to increase its lead to seven. The lead stretched to nine at 17-8 and Kentucky took its final timeout. Edmond sliced a kill out of the break to stop the run. Back-to-back blocks with Franklin involved enabled UK to cut the deficit to seven at 18-11. UK’s senior then produced consecutive kills and the Cats pulled to within six at 19-13 and Nebraska decided to talk things over. The Huskers benefited from two straight errors by the Cats to claim a comfortable advantage. Kentucky didn’t wilt and clawed back to within five after Brown and Edmond teamed up for a block at 24-19, but Nebraska eventually claimed a 25-19 opening-set win. Nebraska registered 16 kill son a .263 attacking percentage, while UK had 12 on a .250 clip. Edmond had four, while Franklin and Skinner both had three. Brown was in on two of UK’s four blocks and Watson and Dusek both picked up a trio of digs.

Set Two
The Huskers opened the scoring to begin the second set with a kill and the Wildcats answered right back with a smashing hammer from Skinner. Edmond then took advantage of an overpass to give UK a 2-1 edge. From there the teams traded points until the visitors scored three straight for a 4-2 advantage. The lead swelled to four at 7-3 before Franklin converted off the slide to halt the spurt. Kentucky continued to fight and eventually a kill from Morgan helped the Cats get to within two at 9-7. A tricky serve from Curry sparked a kill from Edmond and the Wildcats pulled to within one at 11-10. The Huskers rallied back for two straight, and eventually had a 15-11 advantage at the media break. After an extended rally by both squads, Kentucky opted for a timeout trailing 18-13. The Huskers eventually stretched the lead to six at 22-16 and UK took its final timeout. Morgan converted a kill out of the break, and then Edmond had a powerful slam to help UK pull to within four at 23-19. Nebraska opted for a timeout and out of the break, Edmond tooled the block to get UK to within three. The Huskers earned set point, but UK didn’t quit and answered with a Brown kill. Edmond and Franklin teamed up for a block to bring the home team within one forcing Nebraska to use its final timeout. Nebraska wasted little time in taking the set with a kill on the very next play and a 25-22 second-set win. The Huskers totaled 17 kills on .326 hitting, while UK had 17 on a .233 average. Edmond tallied six in the frame, with Morgan, Skinner and Brown all having three. Dusek led the way with six digs in the stanza.

Set Three
Morgan got things started in the third with a big swing for a kill. The teams would exchange points until the Cats won a challenge to earn a 3-1 lead. Brown and Lilley teamed up for a Big Blue block to push the lead to three at 5-2. Kentucky stretched the lead to four at 8-4 behind a kill from Edmond. A block from Edmond and Brown lifted UK to its largest lead of the set at 14-9, and UK took that five-point lead into the media timeout following a service error by the Huskers. Nebraska was able to inch closer and eventually pulled within three at 16-13, but UK answered with a kill from Edmond. Nebraska continued to chip away at Kentucky’s lead and moved to within two at 17-15, prompting a Wildcat timeout. Out of the break, Morgan earned a two-handed kill. The Huskers did not go away, however, and tied it at 18. Another error by the Wildcats enabled the Huskers to earn a 19-18 lead and the Cats opted to take their final timeout. Following the timeout, Nebraska increased its run to 6-0 and a 21-18 lead. Morgan snapped the run with a kill off the block. A crafty dump from Lilley brought the Wildcats back to within one and the Huskers chose to take their first timeout. Despite another valiant effort by the Cats defense, Nebraska took a two-point lead at 23-21. Brown fired right back with a kill off the hands as the home team showed no quit. An unlucky play at the net gave the Huskers match point. Franklin converted off the slide to give UK life and then the Huskers attack went long to knot the match at 24 apiece. Nebraska opted for their final timeout. Out of the break, Nebraska again earned match point with a kill. Edmond answered with a crowd-pleasing smash. Nebraska committed another error and this time UK had set point. After Nebraska lost the challenge, Morgan came up with a solo block to lift the Cats to a 27-25 third-set win. The Cats fought off three match points to extend the match. Kentucky had 18 kill on a .293 attacking percentage compared with 14 from Nebraska on a .174 clip. Edmond produced five kills, while Brown had four. Edmond and Dusek combined for 11 digs, while Brown had a pair of blocks.

Set Four
The Huskers earned the set’s first point with a kill, but then gave it right back to the Cats with a service error. The visitors then scored the next four to take a 5-1 edge. Skinner finally halted the run with a kill. Curry again forced the Huskers out of system with a great serve and Lilley and Brown teamed up to make them pay to bridge the gap to two at 7-5. Lilley had success with her serve, Franklin was able to convert off the overpass, and the Cats got to within one at 9-8. After the Huskers were able to stretch their lead back to three, UK scored two straight, including an ace from Watson to again get to within one at 13-12. The teams swapped points until the Huskers took a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. After the Cats got to within one at 15-14, the Huskers were able to score two straight for a three-point advantage. Back-to-back kills from Edmond pulled the home team back to within one yet again at 17-16 and the Huskers opted for a timeout. Out of the timeout, UK committed a hitting error to give the visitors a multi-point lead once again. A kill from Franklin, followed by a Nebraska hitting error finally knotted the score at 18 apiece. The teams swapped points until the Huskers shook free for two straight and a 21-19 edge. Kentucky decided to use its first timeout. Brown converted off the slide to snap the run and bring Kentucky to within one. Nebraska answered by scoring the next two and earning a 23-20 advantage. The Cats took their final timeout. The Huskers committed a service error, but then earned match point with a kill on the next play. Brown converted off the slide once again to stave off match point bringing UK within two. A service error enabled the Huskers to win 25-22 and take the match. The Cats had 13 kills on .229 hitting, while Nebraska had 14 on a .357 clip.

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